The main missing ingredient in education is 'education' itself, at least in those places where education means stifling initiatives and blocking learners from the acquisition of skills and knowledge to empower them with adequate self-confidence to embark on experimentation, research and criticism.

Most of the problems arising in educational circles emerge from the diverging concepts of education itself, what is should have as its main objectives and what it really means. This reminds us of Wittgenstein's concern (and other colleagues of his in the linguistic field) about the meaning of words (or what makes a word 'meaningful').

In my early childhood, parents and teachers instilled in me a dogmatic feeling of being a good pupil if and only if I managed to get the highest mark or best grade in class - provided this included all subjects. On top of all this, education mainly meant memory work and repetition of same memorized knowledge on the final exams manuscript. This 'exam-oriented' philosophy of education was further reinforced during my later p[primary school days, when we were subjected to an elitist common entrance exam system to start our secondary education 'in one of the best schools available in our country.'

It wasn't a sheer coincidence that I started realizing the importance of creative thinking and critical analysis when I was introduced to Philosophy at University level. It was a cultural shock. I was expected to start thinking when thinking previously meant repeating, and when repeating had to occur without omitting any detail.

Apart from the overall significance of thinking creatively in a long process of educational process, the missing ingredient comprises a number of 'sub-ingredients' which, put together, highlight more strongly the deficiencies arising from lack of creative thinking: students are considered as dangerous if they challenge their teacher's teaching; teachers sometimes kill the team spirit through an overdose of one-way dialog, excluding children form a fair and guided share of questioning and counter-arguing; emphasis on group attainment, rather than on the individual's gradual progress, and labeling students as knowledgeable or underachievers.

Apart from those situations where the curriculum is imposed and no space is left for creative thinking, such as in dictatorial countries, the missing ingredient in education is most generally the fault of the individual teacher who refuses to change attitude in class. While I am very strongly against state interference in educational matters, even though it has to ensure the provision of education and to supply choices where one could send one's children to be educated, I am equally in favor of state-run mechanisms where creative thinking is secured and guaranteed for all learners, regardless of their age, gender or beliefs.

The whole argument echoes a most fundamental question: "What is education all about?" or, more simply put, "Why should we have schools?"

Learn more about this author, Anthony Saliba.
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